Shohei Ohtani joined an elite club as he booked his 200th career home run in the 11-9 loss against the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. Despite losing, it was a big achievement for Ohtani as the Dodgers’ designated hitter. The historic shot came in the fifth inning that drove across the right-field foul pole at the Comerica Park.
The MLB posted about this event on their X handle with a poster celebrating Shohei Ohtani. The fans were clearly amazed by Ohtani’s achievement and reacted to the post.
“500 more to go. EZPZ,” one fan said.
“We are witnessing the goat and no one is noticing,” another fan said.
“Can’t wait to watch him hit milestones on the mound again too,” one fan pitched in.
Other fans congratulated Shohei Ohtani for putting up record-breaking stats throughout his career.
“Dude could have put up some record breaking numbers if he had been playing in the MLB in his early 20’s,” one fan said.
“What a freak of nature!!! Awesome to watch,” another fan said.
“The best Japanese player in history,” one fan said.
Ohtani has become the first Japanese player to hit 200 homers. Ohtani batted his first major league homer against the Cleveland Guardians on April 3, 2018.
Shohei Ohtani receives appreciation through rice paddy art back in Japan
Local volunteers from Ohtani’s hometown of Oshu, Iwate Prefecture, created a large portrait of Shohei Ohtani to show their appreciation. Rather than using a canvas, they utilized seven distinct rice varieties, planting them in June.
The artwork depicts Ohtani in the Dodgers jersey and his pet dog, Decoy. This peculiar rice field artwork spans 3,000 square meters and incorporates the message, “Let’s play baseball.” This is the same message that came with the baseball gloves sent by Ohtani to all of the elementary schools in Japan.
The rice paddy artwork will reportedly be in perfect shape throughout July, depending on the time it takes the rice to ripe.
“It’s about three times larger and has a wider range of expression than last year’s version. We hope people will take a look at it in person to get a sense of its size,” the committee’s Takuo Kumagai said.
This innovative tribute showcases how much Ohtani’s presence in the MLB means for his hometown, and how proud they are of him.
